Faculty Bibliography

Although gabapentin (GPN) is commonly used as adjunctive therapy to treat recurrent self-limited seizures, little is known about its potential efficacy in treating prolonged partial seizures. We report two cases of refractory focal status epilepticus successfully treated with oral GPN. Ln both cases, GPN precluded the need for pentobarbital coma. We suggest that GPN may be an effective treatment for focal status epilepticus and should be studied further for its potential efficacy in this condition. (C) 1997 by Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved

We report three patients with focal prolonged myoclonic jerking movements suggestive of epilepsia partialis continua (EPC) but produced on a psychogenic basis [nonepileptic seizures-EPS (NES-EPC)]. NES-EPC was identified by (1) variability in the areas of motor activity in the same patient, (2) distribution and spread of motor activity without neuroanatomic basis, (3) transient abolition of movements with distraction (e.g., when other body parts are engaged in effortful tasks), (4) eliciting and abolishing typical episodes with suggestive techniques, (5) absence of motor weakness during or in between episodes, (6) absence of electroencephalogram (EEG) correlate of motor activity, and (7) absence of hyperperfusion on ictal SPECT scan. (C) 1997 by Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved